


Finding Shiro

by zaynedere



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Crying, Happy Ending, Loneliness, Seperation, Sheith if you squint, Wormholes, foreign planet, minor gore, post episode 11
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2016-09-26
Packaged: 2018-08-17 08:45:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8137738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zaynedere/pseuds/zaynedere
Summary: After being separated from the others thanks to the corrupted wormhole, Shiro figures out how to survive on a foreign planet with a broken lion, a survival kit, and his own wits.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Some random thing I typed up! I hope you enjoy ;;
> 
> It isn't edited so hopefully I didn't mess it up too much.

When Shiro had been flung through the corrupted wormhole, the last thing on his mind was himself. With his lion, he pushed Pidge towards the castle, which forced him out of the wormhole and spinning towards a planet that he couldn’t clearly see due to Black’s constant spinning. Shiro let out a yell as he was jerked around in his seat, struggling to regain control as they entered the atmosphere of the planet, which caused the lion to catch fire as they plummeted to the purplish surface.

 

He couldn’t regain control before he crashed into the planet, and his breath was taken from him as he was pushed into the straps of the chair. Shiro wheezed as the lion rolled to a stop on it’s side. He unbuckled himself, falling to the side of the cockpit and grabbing at his chest, struggling to breathe. Soon he was able to breathe enough to stumble out of the lion and onto the foreign planet. He looked around, taking in the environment around him as he panted. 

 

The land that led up to his lion was broken up and churned, revealing dark blue dirt clumps that lay under lavender grass. At least, it looked like grass. Under his feet rested the clumpy blue dirt and he looked east, eying what looked like this planet's version of trees. They towered about as high as Earth’s redwoods, trunks matching the dirt in color, and vines hung from the branches in place of leaves. The vines were darker than the ‘grass’, long and smooth looking from his spot probably about two hundred feet away. Instead of exploring, he climbed back into Black, sitting in the seat and getting the lion to lay upright, metal groaning in protest. That definitely didn’t sound good. 

 

Shiro tried the comm systems, frowning as all he got was static. After messing with the controls for an hour, trying to get  _ something  _ to work, he gave up, leaning back in his chair and running a hand over his tired, slightly bruised face. His helmet was discarded halfway into trying to make the comms work, and he seriously didn’t know what to do. He knew that he was supposed to be the head of Voltron, but right now his head pounded with a painful headache and he was just absolutely  _ lost.  _ His chest hurt and he suspected that his insides must be bruised from the earlier crash, and his stomach rumbled with hunger. Shiro groaned, getting up and searching for the emergency kit that was stashed in everyone’s lions. Each kit contained rations for thirty days, and sixty if one divided each in half, a blanket, a complete first aid kit that had almost anything needed for most wounds, and a video recorder, which worked like a video diary. It could transmit videos to different feeds, but couldn’t receive any incoming transmissions.

 

Shiro ate half of a ration and picked up the video recorder, heading out of his lion and heading towards the forest. Hopefully he could find some natives to lend him a hand on this planet. As he stood under one of the trees, he let his human hand run along one of the vines. His hand came back slick and he grimaced, bringing the slime to his face for a sniff. It didn’t smell  _ bad _ , but not something that he would want to constantly smell. He leaned down and ran his hand across the grass, getting the slime mostly off then continuing to walk, taking in his surroundings. There was an abundance of fauna that decorated the tree trunks, some looking like overgrown flowers and others looking like deformed mushrooms. Everything seemed to have a purple or blue tint, and it almost made Shiro uncomfortable. 

 

He came across what looked like a waterfall, though he wasn’t exactly sure if the deep blue liquid was actually anything like water. He didn’t want to taste test it, so he took note of where it was and kept walking. Soon though, the sky grew dark, and Shiro didn’t want to be stuck in the dark on an unknown planet. He gave up looking for natives and made the trek back to his lion, sitting in the seat with a wince; sleeping in his paladin armor didn’t sound very comfortable, but he didn’t necessarily have a choice. The paladin took probably an hour to fall into a shaky sleep, though his tired body thanked him, promising aches in the following day. 

 

\---

  
Shiro woke with a loud groan, body positively  _ aching _ as he shifted in the cockpit’s seat. He opened his eyes but didn’t move much, collecting his thoughts and reminding himself of the situation. Even though his body didn’t approve, Shiro leaned forward and started up the comm systems again, pushing for a signal for roughly twenty minutes before giving up, going for the other half of his ration from the previous day. He chewed on what looked like dried goo, continuing to collect his thoughts. He didn’t exactly know what to do in this situation besides wait, and already the paladin was growing impatient.

 

He didn’t like being disconnected from his team, not knowing if they were okay or not. He was sure that the others felt the same about him, and hoped that they were able to come into contact with the castle or at least eachother. It was better than being stranded, alone with your thoughts. Shiro frowned and shook his head, getting up with another groan and stumbling out of Black, looking up at the two suns that decorated the blue sky above him. This time, he walked south towards large hills, crossing a lavender field. He decided that he could record a video while he walked, and fired up the little device. It flashed up a hologram at his face, counting down three ticks before it started recording. 

 

Shiro looked at the screen for a moment before clearing his throat, looking at how tired his face looked. “Hi, I guess. Yesterday I uhm, crashed on this planet. I don’t know where I am or even what the planet’s called. I just know that  _ everything  _ here is purple or blue. It’s kind of pretty, but also unsettling, y’know?” He chuckled at himself, rubbing his face as he continued walking. “I hope everyone’s doing well, I can’t get in contact with anyone and Black is unable to fly. I’m going to try and get her to work, but I’m not very tech-y like Hunk and Pidge so, uh, fingers crossed I suppose. Right now I’m looking for any natives that could help, but I don’t think there are any life forms on this planet, sadly. I’m uhm… I’m going to turn this off now. Bye, I guess.”

 

Shiro clicked the video off, sighing softly and continuing to the hills. When he arrived, he didn’t find anything remotely useful, but did see some smaller creatures dodging out of his sight. At least he wasn’t the only living thing. He made his way back then started looking at what was damaged on Black, and knew immediately that he had no idea what the  _ hell  _ he was doing. 

 

The paladin flopped into the chair again, rubbing at his face with a loud groan of frustration. He supposed that he was just going to have to survive on this planet until help came, and he desperately hoped that it would be soon. Being alone was already driving him insane, and it hadn’t been two days since the teams parting. He thought of his team, worried about them, and seriously hoping that everyone would be okay when he was found. 

 

He fell asleep a bit easier this time, deciding to shed his armor but remain in his black jumpsuit. He slept easier too, and was much more comfortable than the night before. 

 

\----

 

When he woke, he tried the comm systems again with no avail as well. Dread pooled in his gut; if he couldn’t get into contact with anyone, he might be on this planet longer than his rations could provide for him. The thought made him frown deeply, and as much as he didn’t want to think about it, he needed to prepare for it just in case. He allowed himself some more time to just sit and think before he ate his half ration, then got up and headed out, heading back towards that waterfall. He was thirsty, unbelievably so, and he assumed that maybe just a sip wouldn’t hurt him. 

 

He found the place easily, first dipping his human finger in the liquid. After he confirmed that his finger was in perfect health, he took a breath and leaned down, sipping the liquid. It tasted sweeter than water, almost just like sugar water, and it was cold as it flowed down his parched throat. He greedily gulped it down, pulling away and wiping his panting mouth free of the liquid with the back of his hand. He sat there for a moment, looking down at his reflection. His hair was mussed and greasy, and his face was still bruised in some spots. He frowned softly, then pulled out the video recorder, turning it on with a  _ click _ and smiling gently at his mirrored face.

 

“Hi. It’s what, my third day here. I found a waterfall, well I don’t think it’s actually  _ water _ but I don't really know what to call it so I’m just gonna call it that,” He rambled, rubbing the back of his neck. “I just drank a ton of it, hopefully it’s actually safe to drink. I was just  _ so  _ thirsty…” He turned the recorder so that it showed the flowing liquid, then turned it back to himself. “The trees here are weird and the vines that hang off them are slimy and smell…  _ interesting. _ I haven’t tasted them yet and don’t plan on it until I  _ have  _ to….” He was silent for a moment, rubbing at his face. “My chest still hurts from when I landed, I think I might of bruised my insides badly; nothing seems broken though, which is good… I… I hope I’m found soon. It’s… hard, being without everyone else. I hope everyone’s okay, and I hope that no one is stuck in my position, y’know, without contact with anyone or any _ thing. _ I… I’ll go now, I need to get a better feel of the land while I’m here, maybe see if I can find any natives. Well, uhm, bye.” 

 

He turned off the recorder with a sigh, getting up and walking further north, hoping to find some village of some sort. Sadly, he didn’t find anything except more trees and lavender grass. Disappointment settled in his gut as he walked back, watching the sky grow dark. It was completely dark when he was only half way back, but found that the vines on the trees glowed, illuminating his path as he ventured back. He kept on his toes though, rightfully so as he heard a growl from somewhere he couldn’t see. 

 

His Galran hand glowed as he walked in a more defensive position, eying his surroundings. Soon, something heavy tackled him to the ground from above, biting at his metal arm. Shiro kicked and flailed, but the creature was much too heavy for him to even move an inch. Pain lit up in the area his arm was connected to advanced technology and he screamed and the arm was pulled away, leaving what was left torn and bloody. That seemed to satisfy the creature as he felt the weight lift off of him, and without look back Shiro ran, holding his stump of a right arm as he sprinted back to Black. He silently thanked Black for keeping her lights on in the cockpit as he tore through the first aid kit, quickly sewing up his arm, disinfecting it and wrapping it. He knew how to do this thanks to the extensive training received before the kerberos mission, but he threw up outside of Black, traumatized and still in stinging pain. 

 

Once his stomach was emptied he sat down in the cockpit, staring at where his arm used to be as realization settled in. He was stuck on a foreign planet, with downed communications, limited rations, and one arm. Which also meant that he had no  _ weapon _ . Finally, Shiro let himself break down, ugly sobs escaping his body. He was never trained for this; sure he knew how to survive, he knew all of the basics, but the ‘basics’ didn’t work on a planet that didn’t even have water, or normal trees. 

 

After calming down a bit, he started up the recorder, not even smiling at his mirrored self. He made sure to show his bandaged arm, waiting a few moments before speaking. “So, uh. This planet is hostile at night. Something attacked me, it-it took my arm.” Tears welled in his eyes. “I don’t know what to do. My comms can’t reach anyone, and it’s frustrating, and-and I just hope that tomorrow Allura will come and rescue me and I-I’ll be okay and Black will be okay.” Crystal tears fell down his cheeks again. “It’s only been a few days, but already I’m practically defenseless on a s-strange planet  _ alone.  _ I-I’m hanging up now, I-I-” He clicked off the recorder as he stuttered, using his hand to wipe at the falling tears. He hoped that the videos would be sent to the castle like Allura said they would, he also hoped they didn’t though, because he hated crying in front of others. 

 

He sighed shakily and got as comfortable as he could, avoiding looking at his arm as he looked over Black’s broken controls. He was definitely stuck here. Shiro closed his eyes, letting sleep take his tired body. 

 

\----

 

When the castle had been flung through the wormhole, Allura was barely able to keep the ship straight. Panic rose in her body as she saw Shiro’s lion fall out; they may never be able to find him again. As they neared the end, the blue lion crashed into the red and the two fell out just shy of the exit. The green and orange lions followed the castle out of the wormhole, flying past the castle into open space. Behind them, the wormhole disappeared, and Allura was finally able to regain control over the castle.

 

“Paladins! Can any of you hear me?” She shouted into the comms, frantically looking for the lions. 

 

Pidge’s groan came through the comms. “I’m here, princess. Once my lion stops spinning I’ll fly over.” 

 

Hunk came up on the comms as well. “I’m alive, I think.”

 

Allura got nothing else, and more panic gripped at her heart. “Okay Pidge, Hunk, please hurry back. I cannot get into contact with the others.” The princess got the castle to stay in it’s current location, then used the castle to search for the other lions. She easily found the blue lion, and the red lion seemed to be near the blue, maybe a bit farther away. She put out feelers for the Black lion, but got nothing, and she almost started crying. They couldn’t form Voltron without Shiro, and Shiro could be very hurt somewhere without any of them knowing. 

 

Pidge and Hunk were back in the castle quickly, and after some tending to minor injuries, the group, including Coran, started to search for the black lion as they headed towards Red and Blue. 

 

It took three earth days to get to Keith and Lance; the two of them had crashed on the same planet and were able to stay in contact via the comms, but Keith was badly hurt due to the crash and was ushered into a healing pod as Lance’s more minor injuries were taken care of as soon as they were found. There was still no sign of Shiro, and Pidge, Hunk, and Allura worked on looking for him while Lance and Coran worked on the damaged lions. Everyone was exhausted, but there was no time to relax; there was already Galra ships in this area and it was only a matter of time before they were found. The Galrans won’t wait for the paladin’s to regroup. 

 

Keith emerged from the healing pod after another week passed, broken bones healed in the correct places and cuts healed without a scar. After eating some food goo, he helped Lance and Coran with the lions, continuing to work to keep himself distracted; he was scared for Shiro, and he hoped that they could find him in time. 

 

\----

 

Shiro put feelers out with his comms every morning, even though he never, ever got something that wasn’t space fuzz. A week turned into two, two blended into a month. He hadn’t really left his lion except to go drink some of the water like liquid, not wanting to get caught by something he couldn’t fight. His rations were dwindling, and after a month and a half, he made a knife out of scrap metal that had fallen off of Black and a piece of the emergency blanket wrapped tightly around the bottom. He slid on his paladin armor and left the lion, going south to the hills in hopes of finding something small to kill and eat. He did find something, but without his other arm he struggled a bit when keeping balance, and he couldn’t hold the creature down with one hand and kill with the other like he been taught. Shiro ended up using his knee to hold it down, and felt incredibly guilty as he killed it, now holding it in his hand as he walked back. He supposed it was an accomplishment, but he couldn’t believe that he stayed on this planet long enough that he would have to  _ hunt. _

 

He started a small fire out of the lavender grass, cooking the small creature then stomping out the fire. He ate quietly, a little happy that he was eating something other than freeze-dried food goo. Shiro still wondered where the other’s were, and still made recording’s every day, in hope of the team finding him through them. He fired up the recorder, having just finished his meal. “Hey guys,” He said softly, his face more tired looking than it ever had been. “I hope you guys get this… I’m lonely here, without someone to talk to.” He said that nearly every recording without realizing it. “Anyways, I went and hunted for the first time today. I didn’t think I would have to resort to this but, rations are getting low. Honestly, it was nice having something other than food goo for once,” He chuckled softly, running a hand through his longer hair. “Seriously though guys. I hope you guys find me soon. I still don’t know how to fix Black, and uh, I really don’t intend to live on this planet forever. I’ll end this now. See you tomorrow.” The recorder flashed off and Shiro sighed, stretching his arm up and preparing to sleep in his chair again. He had tried to sleep on the floor once, but found the chair to be  _ much  _ more comfortable. 

 

\----

 

The entire team was absolutely  _ exhausted.  _ Not long after the repairs on the present lions had been made, Galran ships have constantly been attacking. Nothing they couldn’t handle without Shiro, they just  _ wouldn’t stop coming.  _ They barely had a break to search for the black paladin. Pidge and Allura often stayed up late searching, and they were into their fifth month without the paladin before they received a recorder transmission, containing over 170 videos. There was no location given, but as soon as Pidge opened the first video, they started crying, immediately getting everyone in the main room to watch the videos. They watched the first week’s videos, everyone crying a little bit when Shiro spoke of his arm. No one liked seeing him cry. 

 

Pidge skipped to the last few videos, biting their lip. Shiro seemed to be okay, but definitely in need of help. He wore a torn black paladin suit with a long strip of emergency blanket wrapped around his stump. His hair had grown long, and it looks like he was freshly shaved; probably used his makeshift knife if any of the cuts that decorated his face were anything to go by. Allura and Pidge got to work on tracking the signal while Keith and Lance curled up next to each other and watched the videos that were recorded in between. The two had grown closer as friends over this ordeal, and it was nice to not have their constant bickering ring throughout the castle. 

 

It was another month of constant battles and endless decoding and searching for the source of the videos before they finally found the location, and it only took a few earth days to get there. The videos had stopped coming roughly a week ago, and everyone was anxious to get to the paladin to confirm that he was okay. They landed right next to the black lion and nearly everyone dashed out, hoping to find Shiro in his lion. He wasn’t there though, but no one lost hope. They were able to get the black lion into the ship and start fixing her up. It was nearing one in the morning castle time when the doors slid open. The team had been in the commons area; Keith, Lance, and Hunk were sleeping, while Pidge, Allura, and Coran were talking amongst themselves. 

 

“I’m back guys.”

 

\----

 

Shiro had left Black to roam past the hills; he found a wonderful little area to relax. He had left the recorder behind, finding it almost useless at this point since he was receiving nothing. His hair had grown a ton, and he recently shaved off the beard he’d been sporting as it was making his face itch. A week into the mini vacation, he saw the castle fly into the atmosphere and almost started crying; he honest to god thought that he would never see it again. He abandoned the little area he had set up and sprinted towards the lion, and didn’t stop  until he was heaving for breath and the castle was in sight. The black lion was missing, and after regaining his breath, Shiro ran again, walking right through the front door.

 

No one was there to greet him, so he walked up to the commons area, hoping someone was there. He found the entire team there and actually started crying, a grin stretching across his face. 

 

“I’m back guys.”

 

Pidge, Allura and Coran were already awake, and sprinted to Shiro as soon as the black paladin finished talking, enveloping him in a tight hug. He smelled bad, like  _ really bad,  _ but everyone put that in the back of their minds as they  _ finally  _ had Shiro back. The other three paladins woke and scrambled to Shiro’s side, joining in on the hug. They were all crying, Shiro’s one arm trying to reach everyone in the embrace. After they all parted, Lance made a face as he wiped his teary eyes. 

 

“Dude, you  _ really  _ need a shower.”

 

Everyone laughed softly, and Keith went to give Shiro a longer hug. They’d known each other much longer than the other paladin’s, and definitely had a deeper connection. “Welcome back,” He whispered, relishing in the one armed hug he got in return. 

  
“It’s good to be back.”

**Author's Note:**

> I don't post a lot, but hmu @zaynewrites on twitter if you just wanna talk or give me a prompt!


End file.
